Shattered Hearts
by BookOwl4444
Summary: The TARDIS takes the Doctor to a random house, where he finds a teenage girl who might just need his help.


**A/N: So this is my first fanfic so reviews would be absolutely wonderful. Thanks to my part-time beta geekdomiswisdom (check her stuff out) and thanks for reading.**

The TARDIS materialised outside a normal American suburban house - a double story, 1990s style red brick house. The Doctor ran out quickly, unsure of what dangers could be waiting for him and stopped in front on the front door, knocked on the varnished red front door with the battered imitation gold knocker.

"Hello?"  
He waited for a minute or so before knocking again.  
"Is anyone home?"  
There was no answer. Puzzled, he looked over his shoulder, as though expecting his host to materialise out of thin air - he had been sure the distress call was coming from here. He tried the door handle and found it unlocked. Muttering something about improper security precautions, he stepped inside. Pictures lined the walls and, looking exceptionally out of place, an framed quote embroidered in colourful thread hung above the hall table. It read: 'You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you.' and below in slightly smaller writing, 'I like my choices'. After looking around for a bit, he noted that it was the only such quote in the whole house.

The Doctor called up the stairs, yet to no reply. Sniffing, he climbed up the wooden stairs. After checking all the other upstairs room, the Timelord approached the final door at the end of the corridor. It opened silently to a bedroom.  
It wasn't empty.  
A double bed took up most of the room and a quietly whirring machine sat next to it. Upon closer investigation, he saw a girl lying in the bed, watching him silently. A tube was feeding into her nose and her short cut hair was messy, like she hadn't got up for at least two days.

"Hello there, I'm the Doctor", he said

"did you call for help?"

The girl looked up at him and frowned.

"I believe I have been beyond help for a long time." she murmured softly. The Doctor smiled sadly.  
"What sort of doctor are you? Did mum send you? She still believes I'll get better."

He sat down on the desk chair and twirled his sonic in his fingers.  
"I'm not your normal doctor, I'm THE Doctor. Now, I'm not going to make you better, but hopefully happier. Let's start with your name."  
The girl struggled up into a sitting position.  
"Hazel, Hazel Grace Lancaster."  
The Timelord smiled at her.  
"That's a lovely name Hazel Grace."  
Her expression darkened and her eyes suddenly saddened.  
"Just Hazel." she corrected, a little brusquely, averting his eyes.  
The Doctor lowered his eyebrows almost as quickly as they shot up.

"So, just Hazel, where would you like to go?"  
She turned back to him, and met his eyes. He noticed, although they were lined with fatigue, that her eyes were bright with curiosity and excitement.  
"Go where?"  
He grinned and picked up some jeans and a shirt from the floor and placed them next to her.  
"Get dressed just Hazel, I have something to show you".

She made a shooing gesture and he stepped outside and listened to the noises of her getting dressed and some other scuffling around. The Doctor leant against the doorpost and wondered about the poor girl. She was an only child, it was obvious. Her face lined the walls, constantly changing and getting older. The door opened and she stepped out, wheeling a little green cart behind her. The tubes in her nose connected to the cart and she walked slowly down the stairs after him.

"Out here." he said as he led her out to the blue police box.  
She raised an eyebrow skeptically and he opened the doors and headed inside. Curious, she followed him in and gasped.  
"It's... It's... Larger than the exterior!"  
The timelord grinned. "Not exactly what they say, but it will work."  
She shut the door behind her and sat down, breathing slightly heavily. He crouched next to her.

"Hazel?"  
She gave a small smile.  
"I'm fine."  
He jumped up and leant against the console.  
"So where do you want to go? We can go anywhere in the world, forward or backwards in time, space, whatever. You name it, we can go there."  
Hazel looked confused. "Time travel?"  
"Basically."  
She stood up and thought for a second. "Twenty years in the future, the state library."  
"Easy peasy!"

He flicked a lever and spun a knob and Hazel was suddenly thrown off her feet. He gave her a hand up and she readjusted her nubbins.  
"Are you alright?"  
Hazel nodded.  
"We're here!" he said and pulled the doors open. Holding the doors open, he followed her out into the library. She walked over to a computer and after a few moments of fiddling, started typing furiously.  
He peeked over her shoulder and put on his glasses. She had pulled up a search engine, and instantly he panicked.

"No, Hazel, no spoilers!"  
She gave an almost irritated sigh.  
"It's not about me." she stated blankly, ignoring the Doctor's attempts to halt her typing.  
She typed in Peter van Houten and clicked go. A list of his books came up and she clicked on one. It was a short story, which you could read online. Hazel clicked the link and started to read. She only made it to the first page before she made a small, startled noise, only to quickly silence herself. Her eyes were filled with tears. A few people turned around and looked but went back to their books.

He hesitated before he wrapped his arms around her, glancing at the screen as he pulled her away. 'Dedicated to Augustus Waters', the page read.  
The Doctor helped her back to the TARDIS and sat her down.  
He did not ask who Augustus Waters was, for two reasons. The first was that he already knew all he needed to – that Augustus was someone very dear to her. And secondly, because it didn't matter. She buried her head into his chest and sobbed quietly.  
"Oh, Hazel." he signed gently.  
They sat there for a while, the lights from the console darting across their faces, reflecting off her tears.


End file.
